Mango season

Share

Summer heat is on and mango season is in. We all know how delicious the fruit is ofcourse thats why its called the king of all fruits. Havent met any person uptill now who doesnt love mangoes and  who would not love its  sweet, tangy, juicy rich taste.

There are a lot of recipes which can be made from them but the most favourite ones include mango milk shake, mango ice cream and mango juice. My favourite is pure raw mango.

No doubt Pakistan is blessed with the best of mangoes in the whole world with so many types available including chaunsa, langra, sindhri and many more. Which one is your favourite?

I'll try to come up with some new delicious mango recipes. Meanwhile you can enjoy the rich taste of pure mangoes and yes not to forget if you have any good recipe of mangoes then do share it with me. You can send it to me on cookyeaters@hotmail.com.

Enjoy :)

Photo Courtesy by straightrazorplace.com

Fruit Delight in Bowls

Share

I was craving for the Fruit Delight dessert again but there was no party or get together coming up so making up a whole huge dish was useless.

The question was how to make it in small quantity as we are only 2 members of the family to eat it up. And then here I thought that why not try the same recipe in individual bowls?

The experiment went successful and the great thing about it was that it was much easier and quicker to make...

For those of you who missed the original recipe, here is the link Fruit Delight

The only difference I made here is that instead of using condensed milk, I just mixed some icing sugar with cream to make it sweet and it tasted great. Also I covered the whole top of the dessert with the chocolate sauce. Yummy!  isnt it?

Creamy Macaroni Cheese

Share

If you are a Pasta lover, then you will definitely love this recipe. The rich taste of cheddar cheese, chicken and the creamy sauce make it so tempting to resist. Its an all time favourite fo kids too!

Ingredients:

2 cups macaroni
1 cup chicken boiled and shredded (you can also take boiled minced meat instead)

3 cups water

150g butter

1 onion peeled and finely diced

¼ cup plain flour

2 cups milk

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

2 tsp Black pepper powder

Salt to taste

Recipe:

Cook macaroni in boiling water for about 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside.Boil the chicken in water until tender and then shred into small pieces. Fry the shredded chicken with a pinch of salt and black pepper powder and 1 tsp butter in a frying pan.

Melt butter in a pan and fry onion in it till the onion gets whitish and soft. Stir in the flour and add a little milk to make a smooth paste. Gradually add remaining milk and keep on stirring to make a smooth paste. Cook for about 1 minute. Stir in cheese,chicken, salt and pepper and remove from heat. It will start to thicken. The sauce is ready. Add this sauce to cooked macaroni. Stir thoroughly and put on low flame for 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through.

Note: If you are using minced meat, then boil it in water with a pinch of black pepper powder and salt. You dont need to fry it again.

Strawberry Smoothie

Share

Strawberries are in season and who would not love to eat the sweet juicy deep red strawberries. They always seem so tempting to me especially when they have a dark red colour. But today, I thought of not eating them right away but to make something more tastier from them.

To make 1 glass, you need:

4 to 5 stawberries
1 scoop strawberry ice cream
2 tsp sugar
3/4 glass of milk


First add stawberries with tops removed and half of the milk in blender. Shake it well so that the strawberries mix up well with the milk. Now add the remaining ingredients and blend well. Take a glass with some ice cubes and pour the smoothie in it. Chill and enjoy!

Chinese salt, good or bad ?

Share

 

The debate continues on the use of Chinese salt commonly known as Monosodium Glutamate (or Ajino moto as we say). Although we use it very regularly in our Chinese recipes, we have never given a thought on whether its good for our health or not.

Many people have been reported for side effects after eating this salt and we never give a thought to whether it really enhances the taste of our food or not. Most people add it in their food just because they think it’s a necessary element of Chinese food.  But in reality it is not. I never used it in my recipes and still get the same taste from my Chinese recipes.

Ehow gives an insight into the Effects and Side effects of using the salt.

Paalak Paneer (Spinach with cheese)

Share

Uptil now, I used to make Paalak (spinach) in the same traditional way as Paalak Gosht (with meat) and was now searching for something different. Had frequently heard the name of Paalak Paneer but did not have the recipe as easy as this one. When I tried it out, it turned out to be super yummylicious. It might not look very attractive from the pic I have uploaded (my photography skills, you know :p), but believe it or not, it was really worth trying…  

Ingredients:

Spinach leaves              500g

Paneer (Cottage cheese) 150g (cut into ½ inch squares)

Oil for deep frying

4tbsp ghee or oil

1 onion finely chopped

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground roasted cumin

1 tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp garam masala

¼ tsp ground turmeric

Salt to taste

225 g tomatoes finely chopped

Recipe:

Boil the spinach in water for a few minutes until the spinach is tender. Cool, then blend to a smooth paste in blender. Fry the paneer in a deep frying pan until golden brown. Drain.

Heat oil in a wok, fry the onion with ginger garlic paste until golden brown. Stir in the ground spices, salt and tomatoes and cook until ghee appears on the surface. Add spinach and paneer and simmer for about 10 minutes until the paneer is soft and spongy. Add a little water during cooking if necessary. Serve hot with naan or chapatti.

Crispy Fried Chicken

Share

This crispy yummy chicken is very easy to make snack. You dont have to do a lot of preparation for this.
Just take:

3 tbsp Soy Sauce        

1 tsp Red chilli powder          

Salt to taste

Egg                              1 beaten

Bread crumbs               1 cup

Ssame seeds                 1 tsp

Chicken pieces 250 gm

Oil for deep frying

Recipe:

Put slits on the chicken pieces with a knife so the marinade can absorb inside the pieces easily. Mix red chilli powder and salt in soy sauce and rub over the chicken. Let it marinate for about half an hour. Dry the chicken with the marinade in a frying pan on low flame. When the chicken dries up, take it off the flame. Mix the sesame seeds with breadcrumbs in a bowl. Heat the oil in a pan. Now take a piece of chicken, dip it in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs and fry them in the pan on a low flame. When the chicken pieces are lightly browned, take them out. Serve with ketchup or chilli garlic sauce.

Spicy Potatoes (chatpatay aaloo)

Share

This one is for the spicy tongues… found this recipe in one of my cookbooks… changed it a bit according to my taste and here it goes, another yummy recipe…

Ingredients:

Potatoes                       3 to 4 medium size

Cumin seeds                  1 tsp

Red chilli powder            1 and half tsp

Salt                               to taste

Garam masala               1 tsp

Turmeric powder            1 pinch

Lemon  juice                  1 tsp

Green chillies, fresh coriander for garnish

Recipe:

Boil the potatoes in their skins, then drain, peel and cut into ¼ inch pieces. Heat oil in a pan and fry cumin seeds over medium heat until they turn lightly brown. Stir in the potato pieces and fry until lightly browned. Stir in the chilli, salt, turmeric and garam masala. Stir in the tomatoes and cook until water has been absorbed. Pour in the water, bring to boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes. Add lemon juice. Sprinkle with garnish.

Spice List

Share

Now you don’t have to go to the market every time you try out a new recipe. I have compiled a list of some basic Pakistani spices alongwith their Urdu as well as English names which you must have in your kitchen shelves and they make up almost all Pakistani recipes. You can still let me know I something is missing.

Red Chilli Powder / Pisi Lal mirch

Whole red chilli / Saabat Lal mirch

Red Chilli flakes / Kuti Lal mirch

Salt / Namak

Corriander powder / Dhania powder

Corriander Seeds / Dhania beej

Turmeric Powder / Haldi Powder

Ginger Powder / Adrak Powder

Garlic Powder / Lehsan Powder

Cinnamon / Daar chini

Mutton Yakhni Pulao

Share

Some of you might be thinking it’s a very common dish and who doesnt know how to make Pulao.. but for me its one of my most favourite dishes and the valuable recipe of my mom. You might find something different !

Ingredients:

Rice                             ½ Kg

Whole garam masala     1 tbsp (cloves, black pepper, cinnamon)

Salt                              2 tsp

Water                           2 and half glass

Onion                           2 medium finely diced

Garlic                           1 whole peeled and halfed

Mutton                         ½ Kg

Onion(For yakhni)         1 diced into big pieces

Recipe:

For the yakhni(stock):

Put mutton, 1 tsp salt, whole garam masala, garlic in a wok. Add enough water to tenderize the meat plus some water should remain as yakhni. Put it on flame for about 1 hour or until the meat gets tender. I use a pressure cooker so it just takes 10 minutes for the meat to get tender.

Now for the pulao:

Soak the rice in water. Fry the finely diced onion in a pan until it gets light brown. Now add the meat and the garam masala from the yakhni. Put about 1 cup of water and let it simmer for some time. Meanwhile, put a tawa on flame on another stove. When the water dries up, stir fry the meat with the spices. Now add 2 and half glasses of water and put it on medium flame. When water starts boiling, add the rice and put the lid on. After about 2 to 3 minutes, when the water dries up, put the rice on a hot tawa for dum. Put it on dum for 10 minutes. Carefully stir the rice once and let it remain on tawa for another 5 minutes. Pulao is ready. Serve it with raita and salad.

                                   

Seekh Kabab Curry

Share

This is a rather quick recipe…. A good option when you are in a hurry or when sudden guests are arriving… but you have to have the readymade frozen seekh kababs for that. Here is the recipe…

Ingredients:

Frozen seekh kababs    4 (I use the K&Ns)

Tomatoes                     4 medium cut into small pieces

Onions                         2 medium finely diced

Green chillies                4 cut into small pieces

Red chilli powder          2 tsp

Salt                              to taste

Ginger garlic paste        1 tbsp

Oil                                for frying

Corriander and ginger   for garnishing

Recipe:

Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions till they are soft and white in color. Now add tomatoes, red chilli powder, salt and ginger garlic paste. Pour a little water and cover. Let it simmer for some time until the tomatoes and spices are dissolved. Meanwhile defrost your seekh kanabs. Now bhuno fry the masala and add the kababs. Put in a little of water, add the green chillies and let it simmer with lid covered for about 3 to 4 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Garnish with finely chopped coriander and ginger. Serve with naan or rice…

Gulab Jamun

Share

Wow! isnt it too tempting for the tastebuds?  One of my all time favourites....and the best thing about it is that it doesnt take much time and effort to make these cute little balls..hehe
Here is how its made:

Ingredients:

Powder Milk                 2 cups

Flour or semolina          1 tbsp

Baking Powder             2 tsp

Ghee                           1 tbsp

Sugar                          2 cups

Water                          2 cups

egg                              1

Kewra water                 Few drops

Recipe:

Mix flour, egg, baking powder and milk powder alongwith ghee and make a dough using a few warm water drops. Make small balls from it and let it stand for 10 to 15 minutes.

For sheera, take 2 cups water and mix the sugar. Put it on medium flame until sugar is dissolved completely. Keep it warm on very low flame.

Take a Pan, heat up oil and fry the balls on low flame. When the balls turn light brown, take them out and put them directly into the sheera. Cook on low flame for a few minutes so that the sheera is absorbed in the balls. Now pour a few drops of kewra water and let it cool down before serving. 

Fruit Delight

Share

Tried this dish a few days back when I had to prepare it for a tea party at home and wow! it was a great success. So added it into my cooking list...

Ingredients:

Nestle Creations Cream 1 Pack
Marie Biscuits                      1/2 Roll
Sweetened Condensed Milk 1 tin (or according to taste)
Fruit Cocktail                       1 Medium tin
Chocolate Sauce (for decoration)
Walnuts (for decoration)

Recipe:

Take a flat surfaced dish ( I used a pie dish). Crush the biscuits and cover the base of dish. Pour half the juice from the cocktail evenly over biscuits. Spread half of the cocktail over biscuits. Whip the cream and mix condensed milk in it. Check the sweetness as per your taste. Spread the cream over the fruits. Smooth it out with a spatula. Decorate with chocolate sauce and sprinkle the walnuts and remaining fruit. Chill before serving.

Chocolate Sauce Bavarian

Share

Tried this recipe of Nadia T from the TV show Dream Desserts and it turned out perfectly delicious! Especially for coffee lovers, here is the recipe…

Ingredients:


Boiling Water 4 tbsp
Gelatin Powder 2tbsp
Boiling Water 4 tbsp
Coffee Powder 4 tsp
Chilled Cream 200 ml
Condensed Milk 1 large tin
Chocolate Sauce

Recipe:

Mix Gelatin Powder in 4 tbsp boiling water. Mix it thoroughly so that it becomes like a paste. Again take 4tbsp boiling water and mix coffee powder in it. Now mix both the coffee paste and the gelatin paste. Beat the chilled cream over a bowl of iced water for about 3 to 4 mins. Its quantity will increase. Now add condensed milk. Mix it properly and then mix the coffee paste in it.

Now Pour chocolate sauce over the inner edges of four glasses or bowls, they should start dripping inside the glasses. Now pour the mixture in the bowls. Again pour the chocolate sauce over the mixture in swirls. Now take a skewer or toothpick and make the flower pattern of the chocolate sauce. Refrigerate for some time and chill before serving. Enjoy :)